1. Field of the Invention
Embodiments of the present invention relate to technology for supporting a three-dimensional (3D) broadcast service based on a heterogeneous broadcast network by selecting a left-eye image and a right-eye image from a received broadcast stream based on a broadcast standard, and outputting a 3D image by synthesizing the selected left-eye image and right-eye image in a 3D image format.
2. Description of the Related Art
Currently, with the increasing interest on a three-dimensional (3D) image, the development of a 3D image reproduction apparatus, such as a television (TV) and a monitor, capable of reproducing a 3D image has been continuously implemented.
In general, eyes of a person are positioned at spatially and slightly different locations and thus, may observe different images, for example, a left-eye image and a right-eye image when the person views an object. Such a difference in image location of the object is referred to as the principle of binocular parallax. The 3D image reproduction apparatus enables a user to perceive a 3D effect such as a depth and a perspective by displaying a 3D image based on the principle of binocular parallax.
A broadcast system that broadcasts a 3D image may transmit a broadcast stream including a left-eye image and a right-eye image in order to provide a 3DTV broadcast service to an in-house user based on the principle of binocular parallax.
A general 3D broadcast system employs a left-eye image stream and a right-eye image stream having the same frame rate and scan method. However, when transmitting a left-eye broadcast stream and a right-eye broadcast stream over different existing two-dimensional (2D) broadcast networks, for example, a fixed 2D broadcast network and a mobile broadcast network, a left-eye image and a right-eye image in a broadcast stream received at a 3D image reproduction apparatus of an in-house user may have a different frame rate and scan method.
Also, when a broadcast system transmits a left-eye image and a right-eye image to have different frame rates, only one of the left-eye image and the right-eye image may be present at a predetermined viewpoint. In this case, an existing 3D broadcast receiver may not perform synthesis into a 3D image. Similarly, when the broadcast system transmits the left-eye image and the right-eye image using different scan methods, for example, a progressive scan method and an interlaced scan method, an image transmitted using the interlaced scan method is present only in a half, for example, a top field or a bottom field and thus, a separate method for synthesis into a 3D image is required.
Accordingly, there is a need for technology capable of outputting a 3D image by synthesizing the selected left-eye image and right-eye image in a 3D image format. when a broadcast standard of a broadcast stream transmitted from a broadcast system over a heterogeneous broadcast network is different.